


The Best Laid Plans of Rose Roberts

by thisisforshipping



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7390690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisforshipping/pseuds/thisisforshipping
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Roberts is an SSR agent. And she is excellent at her job. She has the notebooks to prove it. There's no way Chief Sousa and Peggy Carter can be immune to her meddling. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Laid Plans of Rose Roberts

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Auerbach is not available right now."

Rose nodded, even though the aspiring tap dancer on the other end of the line couldn't see her. "Yes, I'm sure you're quite talented, but Mr. Auerbach will not have another audition slot open until October."

Three months from now, that should put off any lingering hope of the agency taking the tap dancer on as client. 

"Oh you would like the next available appointment?" Or perhaps not. "Alright then, how about October 16 at 9am?"

Rose picked a day at random on her blank desk calendar. She would check it against the real SSR calendar in the back room when she got a chance."Okay, honey, I have you down. See you then. Good luck."

She hung up the phone and sighed. Penciling in the hopeful girl's name and phone number reminded Rose that she very much disliked this part of the LA branch's cover. At least at the phone company, anyone she turned away was most likely a disgruntled customer complaining about their telephone service, and not an excited young dancer or singer or knife juggler. She had taken to keeping a list of actual talent agencies that she thought might take new clients and directing some of the better auditions to them. 

She grabbed a stack of real SSR papers and headed to the secret back file room. She was quick and efficient as always and back at her front desk just in time to see Chief Sousa rush through the door.

"Morning, Chief." She glanced at the clock. Eleven past. Interesting. "Late night?" She asked innocently.

Chief Sousa looked bewildered. "No? Why'd you ask?"

True, he was dressed as neatly as always, wearing one of his more muted Hawaiian shirts under the customary tan suit. Hair combed. Shoes shined. Fresh-faced. But Rose knew better than to take appearances at face value. "You're late," she said simply. "Highly unusual, Chief."

He smiled, as he moved towards the SSR office. "Just had to stop for gas. Nothing nefarious. Did we get the Echolls files from the Chicago office yet?" 

Changing the subject awfully quickly, wasn't he? "Nothing yet."

"Alright, send them up right away if they come? Thanks, Rose. See you later." And with that, he slipped away, up to his office.

Humph. Rose pulled out her Other Calendar, the one she started when Peggy Carter transferred permanently to the LA branch. On that day's box, she wrote down, "DS - late 11 min." She flipped back through the other months, frowning at her notations, She couldn't see the pattern yet, but she was sure that it would come. Maybe a few more weeks. Of course she had been saying that for months. 14 months to be exact. 

Fourteen months she had been waiting. Watching the Chief and his top agent work side by side, closing cases, starting with catching Chief Thompson's shooter. (Hit man, paid in cash, no leads on who did the hiring, dead end, unfortunately.) It was a thing of beauty, to watch Daniel Sousa and Peggy Carter solve puzzles, take down criminals and even give a group of thugs a beat down. But, except for the same special worry for each other's safety and the Chief's penchant for lingering glances, nothing had changed. Rose had thought for sure that something was bound to happen after the Chief's broken engagement. And then when Peggy decided to extend her stay to work on Chief Thompson's case. And then when she made her transfer permanent. But nope. Nothing. No sneaking kisses when they thought no one was looking (and Rose was always looking), no convenient late nights working on cases together. Not a single pattern emerging in all the data Rose had been collecting. Besides the calendar, she also had a few notebooks of theories and speculation, and an analysis of daily behavior for each of them. Really, any longer and Rose would find herself making one of those conspiracy boards complete with red string and large scribbled arrows.

Every so often Rose would take her analyses and observations and turn them into something more proactive. One of her grandest schemes, from just a few weeks ago, involved her surfing coach and eight fellow surfers. She had convinced Chief Sousa and Peg to come watch her surfing competition. It took some sweet talking to get them to take half a Saturday off, but everything was going swimmingly. They arrived at the beach together at the perfect time and Rose had introduced them to the other "competitors". An unfortunate "scheduling conflict" soon occurred, preventing the competition from taking place. And Rose had been so apologetic, but her coach had invited the surfers out for a beer to commiserate, and wouldn't Peg and Chief take advantage of the lovely afternoon and take in the sights at the boardwalk? After all, "it's a shame Peggy hasn't seen much of the beach since she's been in town, don't you agree, Chief Sousa?" They both looked slightly awkward at the prospect, but Rose was sure that the California sunshine would work its magic soon enough. Los Angeles in the summer time was iconic after all. 

She had gotten to the office early the next morning, prepared to witness some shy smiles and perhaps the precursor to a dinner date. But Peggy had walked in right at 8:50am, just as she normally did. And when Rose eagerly asked about how her Saturday was, Peg was distracted, flipping through a file. “Hmm? Oh, the beach? Didn’t get to see much of it, I’m afraid. Chief Sousa slipped on a rather uneven patch of sidewalk and damaged his crutch. Once we got him sorted out, he had to head home.”

“Oh that’s terrible!” Rose made no effort to hide her disappointment. 

“Yes, rather. That sidewalk was abysmally maintained. I’m surprised more people haven’t had accidents there.”

“I mean about Chief. And your outing.”

“Oh, it was alright. No injuries to be sure. And he has an extra for just such an occasion, I believe.” And with that, Peggy waltzed away, her nose still buried in that file.

And Chief Sousa came in ten minutes later, with a different crutch, but didn't mention anything other than his usual, “Morning, Rose.”

Impossible, those two. How could they resist the golden beaches and glittering waves? The colorful tourist traps and curio shops? She had thought her plan was foolproof. 

Every other attempt made by Rose was similarly thwarted. If she hadn’t checked and double checked that all those crises were legitimate (they couldn't have planned Howard Stark’s factory exploding, could they?), she would think Peggy and Chief Sousa were pulling one over on her. But nope. Fourteen months later, and still nothing. 

It was bordering on ridiculous. Peg and Chief Sousa were just so suited for each other. Mutual respect, friendship and attraction. The trifecta of relationship goals. It was hard enough to find someone with whom you had two of those factors, and Rose had the string of terrible dates to prove it. But all three? That was something special, something you should hold on to and never let go. 

\---

The end of the work week arrived quickly, and Rose was surprised to see both Peggy and the Chief leaving at a few minutes before five. Even in an office filled with workaholics, those two were the last she expected to duck out a bit early for the weekend. They were talking companionably as they walked towards her desk, too low for Rose to make out what they were saying. (And she was trying very hard.)

“Have a good weekend, you two!” Rose said brightly. “See you bright and early on Monday.”

They both exchanged a look, and then turned to Rose. She had yet to decipher their non verbal communication, even with all her notebooks and calendars. 

“I’m going to be out of the office until Wednesday, Rose. I thought I had told you?” Peggy said with an awkward smile. 

“Oh, my mistake. Yes, Peg, I’ve got that written down right here. Then, have a nice vacation and I’ll see you on Wednesday instead.”

“Er, Rose, I’m out til Wednesday as well.” The Chief looked a little nervous, but Rose just stared at him for a minute while his words filtered through her brain. The Chief taking a few very rare vacation days. Peggy taking a few unprecedented vacation days. At the same time. 

How could she have missed that? What was the point of having multiple calendars, notebooks and theories if she was going to miss the obvious signs? She remembered making the note of Peggy’s vacation days, since that was the first since The West Coast Transfer. But the Chief’s vacation days had to be approved by the District Chief up in San Francisco, and as such would require paperwork and triplicate copies that Rose would have had to handle. The papers would have come in a legal sized yellow envelope -

The same envelopes that she had been requisitioning for use to store the odds and ends of her growing secret data collection. Rose stifled a long suffering sigh. Foiled by her own organizational skills. Again. 

“Right, Chief. I most certainly did not forget,” she told him with a bright smile. And your papers are most certainly not at my house stuffed in an envelope with a theory about how you have a secret twin brother, she thought to herself. 

The Chief did not look any less nervous. Oddly, he looked more nervous. Oh, Rose’s intuition was ringing alarm bells in her head. There was a plot afoot. She looked back and forth between the increasingly nervous looking Chief and the agent who was rather too calm. 

“Something is going on,” she stated. She held up a hand to stop both of their protests. “The more you say there isn't, the more sure I am. And I am already 99.9% sure.”

Rose pinned them both with a stare that she hoped conveyed both her omnipotence and determination. “I want to help. Let me help. I’ve proven quite useful in the field, haven't I?”

They were doing that “silent communication” thing again. It seemed like an age before they turned back to face her, both smiling gently. 

“You’re right, Rose, and we could use your help.” Peggy fished around in her handbag, before grabbing a pen off the desk and scribbling down an address on a scrap of paper. “This address, tomorrow at 11am, sharp.”

Rose nodded, taking the scrap of paper. “Do I need to bring anything, dress in anything particular? Flashlight? Walking shoes? Crowbar?”

“No, just yourself.” The Chief was looking much less nervous now. “The address is downtown, so whatever you would normally wear is fine.”

“I’ll be there.” She smiled and waved as they said their goodbyes and headed out the storefront. She breezed through the last of her filing, because there was a stack of envelopes, notebooks and calendars waiting for her at home. She had some research to do. 

\---

At precisely 10:55 am, Rose looked up at the building where she was to meet Peg and the Chief. It was a rather unimpressive looking restaurant, with green striped awnings and a sign that proclaimed “Nancy’s Cafe”. But looks could be deceiving, perhaps “Nancy’s” was hiding a mob boss or escaped convict under its innocent rafters. She would know soon enough.

The morning crowd that occupied the sidewalks really was the epitome of summer in Los Angeles. Young women in cheerful sundresses and perfectly coiffed hair had their arms linked together, making eyes at the young men in their path. Children with their indulgent parents could be seen tugging hands and pleading for ice cream sundaes to celebrate their downtown outing. Rose simply did not miss the stifling humidity and storm warnings that New York always had in the summer. 

The crowd parted and Rose was pleased to see Peggy and the Chief walking together. She made a mental note to add to her current secret data notebook. They were just darling together, really. Smiling like they hadn't a care in the world. Rose couldn't help but smile too. She was about the call out her hello, when Peggy laughed at something the Chief was saying. Rose was dumbfounded. She had never seen Peggy laugh like that, head thrown back in delight, loud enough that to be heard all the way down the street. The Chief was grinning something fierce too. 

Rose was going to need a fresh notebook to analyze the scene in front of her. She tried to take in everything that was happening to remember for later, making a little check list in her mind. Peggy - hair in loose curls, signature red lips, light coat to ward against the slightly cloudy sky. Chief Sousa - smart blue suit, nice tie. They were both dressy, but not particularly conspicuous. Perhaps they were to blend in to the luncheon crowd at Nancy’s, but they seemed a tad over dressed. They were smiling, loose limbed and casual. Comfortable and relaxed, probably meant a lack of life threatening danger. Rose filed all these things, making new entries into the mental notebook in her head.

But then, Chief Sousa reached out with his free arm and grabbed Peggy’s hand. The list in Rose’s mind crumbled to pieces. And then, he tugged her close and wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her.

The list exploded.

Chief Daniel Sousa and Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter were kissing. Kissing! 

And it was most certainly not their first kiss. Or their fourth. Or their fiftieth for that matter! 

Rose really couldn't be held responsible for the shriek that came out of her mouth. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth too late, as several people turned to look at her, including Peggy and the Chief. She hurried over to them, murmuring apologies to those who gave her strange looks.

They were red faced and laughing and holding hands.

“Wha-” Rose started. “What…”

“Hello, Rose!”

“You two are together!” Rose exclaimed. 

“We are.” Chief Sousa was smiling besottedly at Peggy still. “Have been for a while actually.”

“Wha-” Rose started again. “How long?!”

“We hit the year mark in April.” Peggy smiled a bit ruefully.

“April?!” Oh, she was so wrong. So, so wrong. All the calendars and notebooks for nothing. All her schemes and plans for nothing. “Wait, that day at the beach? My surf competition and the broken crutch? You were already together?”

“I’m afraid so, Rose. Sorry for having a bit of fun, but we figured out what you were trying to do.”

“It wasn't that hard. A scheduling conflict? Come on, give your Chief a little more credit than that!” Daniel added.

Ignoring the slight on her brilliantly devious plan (which she still maintained was a work of genius), Rose continued, “But your crutch was really broken. You said that Chief Sousa had slipped on an uneven sidewalk and damaged it.”

A voice behind them startled everyone. “Hey, I know that story!” 

They all turned towards the newcomer. 

Jack Thompson was smirking at them. “An uneven sidewalk? Really? That’s the story you spun? Tell her what really happened.”

Peggy shook her head. “Jack, I really don't think that’s necessary. How do you know you have the right story?”

From her left, Chief Sousa muttered. “I didn't tell him. He just sort of… assumed.”

“Don't worry, Sousa didn't tell me. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Come on, Carter, why else would two people be out on a candle lit balcony in the middle of the night?”

Both Peggy and Chief Sousa blushed hotly. 

“Right, well,” Peggy said. “Thank you for that, Jack.”

This was a delightful, albeit surprising turn of events. “Chief Thompson, what are you doing here?” Rose asked.

“Same as you, I expect.” He walked up and draped his arms over Peggy and Chief Sousa’s shoulders, inserting himself between them. “Danny. Marge,” he said smiling in that way that was both endearing and annoying. “How are you feelin’?”

Rolling his eyes, Chief Sousa shrugged off the heavy arm on his shoulder. “I was doing fine, but now I’m regretting inviting you.”

“Aww, come on now, Danny Boy. Who else is gonna be your best man?”

“Best man?!” Rose covered her mouth to stop another shriek. She looked wildly at Peggy and the Chief. “You're getting married.”

“Oh, right.” Peggy seemed to suddenly remember. “Sorry, I thought I had made that more clear.” With that she took off her coat to reveal a lovely white lace dress underneath. She smiled, suddenly a little shy. “Ana Jarvis is coming with my flowers. The courthouse is down the street.”

“Oh, Peg!” Rose had to blink back tears. “I’m so happy for you,” she said, clasping Peggy’s hand. “For both of you.”

“Thank you, Rose. Truly, for everything.”

Rose looked at the two wonderful people in front of her, both shining with happiness. 

Chief Thompson was doing the same, smiling at Peggy and Chief Sousa, looking a little sentimental, too. Then he cleared his throat. “All right, people, let’s get this wedding started!” And the little group made their way to the courthouse.

\---

An hour and a half later, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sousa exited the courthouse surrounded by their friends. The newlyweds were wrapped up in each other, as Mr. Jarvis went to bring the car around. Rose was chatting with Ana Jarvis, and keeping her eye on Chief Thompson and Peggy’s maid of honor Miss Martinelli. Miss Martinelli looked amused, and Chief Thompson was smiling a rare genuine smile. The clouds had broken and golden fingers of light were illuminating the streets of L.A. Perhaps the California sunshine would work more of its magic. Rose smiled. She would need to get some new notebooks.


End file.
